TribWeek: Top Texas News for the Week of 1/13/14

Nobody expected Republican Greg Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis to agree on big policy issues. But after releasing their most recent fundraising reports, it became clear they can't agree about how to count, either.

An East Texas judge says he should be able to intervene when the jail isn't providing medical care he deems adequate. The county says the judge is overstepping the bounds of his authority.

A coalition of public officials in the U.S. federal government, the Mexican federal government and Texas are discussing how to develop and finance a high-speed rail line connecting San Antonio to Monterrey, Mexico.

George P. Bush, a GOP candidate for land commissioner, said Wednesday that he hoped Texas Republicans in leadership positions would denounce "ignorant statements" regarding Hispanics, even if they're made by fellow Republicans.

Despite critics' calls for more scrutiny, federal pipeline regulators say they see no reason to delay activating the Oklahoma-to-Texas leg of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which is set to be turned on next week.

In Texas, where payday and auto-title lending is a $4-billion-a-year industry with some 3,500 businesses, there are no limits on fees or loan sizes. Texans take out larger loans and pay higher fees than consumers in the nation as a whole.

A pregnant North Texas woman being kept on life support against her family's wishes is stirring political debate in a state immersed in competitive primary races.

Texas is preparing for a new drug screening procedure required of applicants for unemployment benefits, but the federal Labor Department has yet to set the parameters.

Nearly 700 people are running for various state offices, but to figure out the direction of Texas politics, you only need to see the results in a few of those contests.

Texas Tribune donors or members may be quoted or mentioned in our stories, or may be the subject of them. For a complete list of contributors, click here.